Selasa, 8 September 2009

Kami sampai di Laban Rata dalam pukul 3pm. it was showering when we get close to de place. Thinning air makes it harder to breathe. and de body easily get tired!

am deliriously happy. haha!!

Laban Rata Resthouse is equipped with running water, electricity, a restaurant and indoor showers and toilets. Electric heaters are provided in the rooms as well as blankets. Dis is our pitt stop for resting place.

Weather @ Laban Rata was so chilling as we are about 10,000 feet above sea level. i wear my thick sweater all de time thou.

de mountain seems like right behind u!

waktu nie strong wind n chilling!

above de cloud..

waiting for sunset..approx 6.15pm

beautiful sunset @ 10,000 feet above sea level..

Having some meals to regain back my energy @ laban rata cafe.

i slept early dat nite, i think around 8pm, after having dinner. It is because i have to wake up early - at about 2.00am, to continue for de second phase of the climb. Taken right before we start our night climb.

So de next morning, around 3.00am, we started our second phase climb. Above Laban Rata, de trail continues as a series of wooden ladders, fashioned out tree roots and branches. At dis time around, good headlight is essential as most of the time we have to hold something for stability. It gives u way to flatter, more easy walking just below Sayat-Sayat, when de true edge of the tree-line is reached. My friend Kuna, stop de climb after an half and hour climbing due to serious coughing. Our guide send her back and leave us alone to continue our climb n he will catch us soon as he can. Nways, we continue our climb n it took me about more than an hour to Sayat-Sayat. Sayat- sayat is de highest mountain hut at 3810 meters (12,500 feet). The dwarfed vegetation at this altitude contrast sharply with enormous silver black dome of the summit.

well along de way,ropes are fixed at difficult places, but these are more to inspire confidence than from necessity. i always keep close to the rope. Dis is because u would not get lost if u stay close by. There are some places where the trail is very steep, almost 70° angle. Carefull is essential at dis time. I dont take much photos during my climb up to sayat-sayat. as the wind is sooooo freezing cold as i my fingers are numb. and its dark surrounding as well. 100% relying on my headlight.

Tough grasses and other plants cling to rock cervices, flowering and fruiting only a few centimeters tall. Then we pass de 8km mark with de South Peak and St. John's Peak on ur left. It was sunrise dat time. The views are beautiful..From here de bare granite slabs stretch endlessly ahead to the pile of jumbled rocks that is Low's Peak.

Sunrise @ de plathaeu..

The view of the surrounding peaks is magnificent. Masha Allah. i think by 6.00am, i can see most of the peak very clearly. This is usually the best time to take pictures of the sunrise and the peak.

Me and Kak Ton reached de Low's Peak around 6.45am. It was such a superb feeling. Unbelieveable! SPEECHLESS!. After all de efforts dat hv been put in, we finaly on top of de highest mountain in South East Asia.

Awesome rocksAfter half an hour at de top, we decide to start descending. Further down on de right is the South Peak. If the weather is clear, you will also be able to see Kundasang and Ranau town from here. Along de summit plateau, we walk down with de Ugly Sister's Peak and Donkeys Ears on de left.

Further down, we arrived at Sayat-Sayat Hut and refill our water bottle with de mountain water. it's de water from 13,000 feet above sea level!

To be frank, im little bit nervous while descending after sayant-sayat hut. Ini adalah kerana, de drop everything is very clear. U'll see de clear 70% drop steepness. Luckily, it was dark while climbing, n we dont see anything like that. Afterall, de views still magnificent!

Setelah selesai membersihkan diri etc, kami makan n get ourselve ready for next day trekking trip. We are all excited, do de packing- sorting things for our stay @ laban rata. we manage to get things all together in 1 small bag n then everyone zzzzzzzzzzzz.....

The next morning, we leave Bayu Homestay around 6.15am. We walk for 5 minutes to get to de restaurant in front of kinabalu park entrance and have our breakfast there. Kami berjumpe Sigol, our mount guide semasa breakfast la. ;). He looks like a very patient guy n maybe can tolerate with our slow pace trekking, so we decide to choose him dan mentioned his name semasa menregisterkan diri utk trekking pagi itu.

After having our climbing permit, a name tag, Sigol- de guide+ porter> utk kak ton, we r taken to deTimpohon Gate , the entrance to the summit trail where you will start climbing. Mini vans are provided by de park for climbers and It is a 15 minutes drive along the 4 km winding and a steep uphill road leads to directly to the gate...

Dari timpohon gate, de trail rises steadily as a series of rough, uneven steps, right up ke Laban Rata (3,272 meters/10,735 feet).

Along de way, kami menempuhi 7 pondok untuk berehat. Setiap shelter have toilets and untreated mountain water source. de shelters afford de weary some well earned rest at intervals and de water tanks will make it easy for each climbers as u do not have to carry heavy water bottles wif you. Secara averagenya, it tooks me almost 7 hours to get to Laban Rata. (8.30am - 3.00pm)

I do take my own sweet time while trekking dis mountain n yeah good photos as well...

De first shelter Pondok Kandis, is located at 1,981 meters (6,499 feet).It is a steep 45 minutes climb to the shelter.

After Layang-layang, we arrived at Pondok Villosa @2,690 meters (8,825 feet), . It is situated at de top of an open rocky patch, i can say de place got superb vistas by having mountain towering above you as you follow de path upwards.